Method and apparatus for wirelessly establishing user preference settings on a computer

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for establishing preference settings for a computer during a user session. The apparatus includes the computer coupled to a smart card reader configured to wirelessly detect and access a smart card located within a predetermined zone of the smart card reader. The smart card carries personalized preference settings and unique identification information such that the preference settings are temporarily assigned to the computer when the smart card is within the predetermined zone. The preference settings are updated and stored on the smart card upon departure from the predetermined zone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is great potential for increasing a user's productivity andcomfort level by creating a more personalized computing experience.Currently, most users change few or none of the default operating systemsettings. Users stick with the default settings each time a new systemis used because of the inconvenience of configuring a computingenvironment. A physical disability preventing a user from changing thesettings or a lack of knowledge on how to do this are among the otherreasons why a user may remain with the default settings.

The current computer desktop environment stores one profile of settingsfor each account on the system. If a user of one computer wants his orher custom settings on another computer, there are currently twooptions. The user can create an account on the other computer and thencustomize the settings of the new account or the user can use anexisting account on the other computer and manually change the settingsas desired. The first option requires a user with the proper access tocreate an account. The user must then customize the environment. If thiscomputer is located in a public setting, it may not be practical tocreate an account for so many one-time users. The problem with thesecond option is that once the settings are changed, each subsequentuser is forced to conform to these settings or change them again. Eitherscenario discourages users from customizing their computing environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to allow a user to temporarily changesettings, which have no impact on system security, to the customsettings that a user desires. The custom settings allow for instantfamiliarity, thereby resulting in increased productivity and lessextraneous accounts. Unlike the current computing environment, a userdoes do not need to have a profile or an account on the computer, andcan automatically and transparently use the desired settings.

Another object of this invention is to allow for the personalization ofan Internet environment. Many websites require a logon and password foraccess. If a user has logged on from the same computer before, it ispossible that this information is stored on the hard drive as a cookieallowing the user to bypass the logon process. If the user were to go toanother computer, it would be necessary for the user to logon to verifythe user's identity. This invention allows the logon information to bestored on the card and used on any computer. The viewed website willsignal the web browser to execute a program that will determine if anycards are in a predetermined range. Upon detection of a card within thepredetermined range, and if a card is in range and contains an accountfor that website, the user can transparently be logged on. Otherwise,the normal prompt for a user name and password appears.

The ability to transparently import the information stored on the cardinto the current computing environment creates the impression to theuser that they have an account on the computer. Every computer that theuser accesses will have the same look and feel that they are accustomedto. The ability to store email address and Internet favorites inaddition to other data on the card allows users to have their personallist of email addresses at their fingertips regardless of which computerthey are using.

In one embodiment of the invention, a contact smart is card is employed.The contact smart card only requires users to insert their card into thereader when they arrive and remove it when they depart. A contactlesssmart card permits users to keep the card in their wallet or in closeproximity to the reader. When the user is within the predetermined rangeof the reader, the settings will automatically be established on thecorresponding computer, and when the user leaves the range, the settingswill automatically revert back to predetermined settings.

An advantage to this invention is that it assists disabled individualswith their computing experience. There are many people who have troubleusing a computer due to disabilities such as colorblindness, bad visionand poor dexterity. Some operating systems do provide mechanisms toassist these users; however, accessibility software requires the user toreconfigure such personalized settings each time a new computer is used.For example, the Microsoft Windows operating system comes withaccessibility software, but a user dependent on this software can useonly a PC on which those settings are currently active. If a user haspoor vision or color blindness he or she can use the accessibilitysoftware to make the colors on the screen appear in high contrast mode.This setting now allows the user to be productive on a computer despitehis or her disability. The problem with this setup is that the disableduser cannot use any computer, they either need to struggle with thecomputer to set the desired accessibility settings, or obtain assistancefrom others to properly configure the computer.

Another problem is that a user is unable to then port his or her desiredsettings from PC to PC. If a disabled user were to use a public computerat a library he or she would have to go through the process of settingup the accessibility features every time the computer was used. Thiswould be a great burden on the user and on the people who may berequired to repeatedly assist in this process This invention would allowdisabled individuals to configure their smart card settings only once,or buy a preconfigured smart card, and then have all computersautomatically switch to a mode where they are able to use the computerwith no assistance from others. A user with poor dexterity can now setupthe mouse and keyboard settings only once on their smart card and haveevery computer they use after that change to the desired settings withno further interaction by the user. Not only would this make life easierfor individuals with disabilities, it would also increase theirinteraction with computers because they will no longer requireassistance to operate a computer.

This invention also has the advantage of assisting individuals withmaking their computing experience more comfortable and intuitive. Forexample, most computers by default are setup to work with a right-handedmouse. Left-handed individuals are forced to conform to the mouse buttonsetup for right-handed person or reconfigure the computer to operatewith left-handed mouse buttons. This invention will now allowleft-handed people to sit down at any computer and have the mousebuttons transparently switch. This increased comfort level for users canalso be realized in a multicultural computing environment. Personalsettings can be used to specify the language that a user wishes to bedisplayed on the computer. This would be of aid to travelers at airportsand other locations with people of varying languages. A user at anairport computer who is purchasing tickets can have the ticketinformation and prices automatically displayed in the language specifiedon their smart card.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for establishing preference settings on acomputer system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for wirelessly establishing preferencesettings on a computer according one embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the establishment of userpreference settings on a computer;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the log-in onto a web site usingidentification information from a smart card;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a settings device layout of asmart card used in the present invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of the settings information file ofthe settings device layout of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, personalizedpreference settings are stored on a smart card or other data carrier.Preferably, the smart card will have a similar look and feel to that ofa credit card. The card format allows users to save their settings to acard for facile transportation and concealment.

In one embodiment, the smart card is contactless, meaning that it is notrequired to insert or physically couple with a receiver. In such anembodiment, the smart card can be left in a wallet the card and will notrequire removal for a receiver to detect and access. Current contactlesscards communicate with the receiver through radio frequency but anotherwireless method may be used to transfer the data from the smart card tothe receiver. The combination of the card format and wirelesscommunication enables the card to easily travel with and be used withoutany intervention by the user. The card can also have contacts, whichwould require a user to insert the card into the reader.

In another embodiment, the card can be a combination of a contact andcontactless card allowing for operation with both types of readers. Thecards can also come in the formats of read-only and read-write, and canvary in their storage capabilities. As smart card technology advances,card memory capacity will grow allowing users to store even moreinformation.

The data stored on the smart card may also be compressed to allow forgreater storage.

There are a numerous settings that this invention can store on a smartcard for automatic retrieval and configuration on another computer.

As shown in FIG. 6, some of the broad categories of settings includesettings for the mouse 512, keyboard 510, Internet browser 516, desktop518, file system 520, and contact information 514. These categories arejust a small sample of the possible categories of settings that can beconfigured. Very detailed configurations can be made within these andother categories. For example, the keyboard can be configured to respondto hot-keys, which are combinations of keys that cause an action tooccur such as the launching of a program. Other details such as thesensitivity of the keys and the rate at which characters repeat when akey is held down are also configurable. The mouse can be configured toshow trails when it moves to allow for users to easily track itsmovement. The rate at which a mouse cursor moves on the screen, thebutton configuration and the rate at which a user must click the mousetwice for it to be considered a double click are just a few of the mousefeatures that can be configured.

As further shown in FIG. 6, email applications and address books can beconfigured to contain another users personal contact information such asemail addresses, phone numbers and online chat buddy lists. An Internetbrowser such as Netscape can be configured start with a particularwebpage and contain a list of shortcuts to frequently visited websites.A user's desktop can be setup to display a certain wallpaper and colorscheme. The screen resolution along with type style of icons to use canalso be configured. The file system view can be arranged to displaycompressed files with different colors or to list the time and datedetails for each file along with the filename. There are many othersettings that can be configured such as the language to use, the defaultfont style for word processing, and the speaker volume just to name afew.

As shown in FIG. 1, a system of the present invention includes computers310, 312 connected to smart card readers or receivers 314 which arehooked to a port on the computers 310, 312. This port should be a USBport or another type of technology that allows for plug and playcapabilities. The smart card readers 314 are arranged to constantly pollthe area around the computer for the existence of any smart cards atpreselected intervals. In the case of contactless smart cards, users canspecify the range in which the device would check for cards. Users canalso specify the frequency with which the device checks for the presenceof a smart card. In a low traffic environment such as a home PC, usersmay want to only check for the presence of a card every second, while ina high traffic environment the system can be configured to check for acard every tenth of a second.

The reader 314 should be placed within close proximity to the computer310, 312 to allow it to detect when a user intends to use the computer310, 312. As illustrated in FIG. 2, it is possible to integrate thesmart card reader 616 into the keyboard 614 allowing it to always be inclose range to a user 612. The placement of the reader 616 into thekeyboard 614 would also be an excellent location for detecting a smartcard 618 if users 612 keep the card in their wallet. Once a card isdetected, the information containing how to personalize the computersettings 420, as shown in FIG. 6, would be read from the card andtransferred to the computer software.

If two contactless cards come in the range of the receiver 616 at thesame time while another smart card is not currently in use,anti-collision handling software would determine which card is selected.Users also have the option to turn the receiver 616 off or, if more thanone card is within range of the receiver 616, manually switch the cardbeing read. Once smart cards settings are loaded, those settings remainthe dominant settings until that card leaves the range of the reader,the user chooses to switch manually to another smart card, or the userdecides to manually revert to the original system settings and not usesmart card settings.

The software system is composed of four components. The first componentconsists of the interface between the card and the computer. Theinterface is designed to be compatible with the Personal Computer/SmartCard (PC/SC) standard or any other industry standard that may replace itin the future. The use of the PC/SC standard enables the software to beinteroperable with any card/receiver combination that conforms to thestandard. The second component reads the settings from the card andmodifies the computer environment to reflect these new settings. Thiscomponent runs in the background on the computer. It would run as aservice on the Microsoft Windows Operating System environment. Runningthis component as a service allows the software to be active acrossmultiple accounts while providing it the proper access privileges tochange the desired settings. The third component is an easy to usegraphical interface that allows a user to easily customize settings andsave those settings to the device for later use. This component wouldalso allow users to modify and view which settings are currentlycontained on a smart card. The fourth software component handles theprotocol used to allow the card to interact with the Internet. Morespecifically, it allows users to transparently logon to Internet sitesusing information stored on the smart card in conjunction with softwareintegrated into a web browser and website.

As demonstrated in the flow chart of FIG. 3, after users install thesmart card reader and the software 10 pertaining to this invention, thesystem will be ready to accept personalized settings contained on asmart card. An icon will appear in the system tray indicating thecurrent smart card settings status of the system. This icon changes itsstatus according to whether the smart card system is currently scanningfor smart cards, suspended, transferring data from or to a smart card,or actively using smart card settings. When settings from a smart cardare not currently in use, the system, by default, scans 12 for thepresence of cards.

The predetermined range in which the reader scans will come with adefault setting that is applicable to most environments, but users willbe able to adjust this setting if desired. Once a smart card is detected14 by the reader, the software attempts to retrieve 22 the unique ID andchecksum of the data contained on the card. If the owner of the smartcard decided to encrypt the data contained on the card, he or she wouldbe prompted 18 and required to enter the proper personal identificationnumber (PIN) to proceed with the transfer of information from the card.It is envisioned that most users will have no desire to protect theirpersonal settings, so in the majority of cases no user interaction wouldbe required to transfer the settings from the card to the computer. Thereason why most users would most likely choose not to protect thesettings with a PIN is because the settings data being transferred wouldnot be sensitive information. Not many people will be concerned withprotecting their preferred mouse speed or font style.

The system is also capable of transferring the settings on the card tothe computer with no PIN while having other information on the card,which is not automatically transferred, protected by a PIN. This allowsthe user to enjoy the ease of automatically switching settings, whilestill allowing for other information to be password protected and onlytransferred upon request by the user at which time they will be requiredto enter a PIN.

Once the software receives 22 the unique ID and data checksum from thesmart card, it inspects 24 the settings cache on the computer to see ifthis user has previously altered the settings. Each card contains aglobally unique identifier (GUID) 412 that uniquely identifies the card.

A GUID is an alphanumeric identifier that is unique across time andspace. The card also contains a current checksum 414 of the all datacontained on it. The GUID 412 and checksum 414 are used to implement alocal caching system to allow for a faster transfer and configuration ofthe settings. When the receiver detects 14 a card, it obtains the GUIDon the device along with the checksum and compares the two pieces ofdata to the entries in the smart card cache on the computer. If the GUIDof the device does not exist in the cache, or the GUID exists but thechecksum differs, then the entire collection of settings must betransferred 26 from the device to the computer. If the GUID exists inthe cache and if the checksum on the card matches the checksum of thesettings stored in the cache, then the computer already has a currentcopy of the data and that data can be used instead of transferring itfrom the card.

If the data from the smart card is encrypted 30, then the PIN entered bythe user is used to decrypt this data. Likewise, if the data from thesmart card has been compressed 28, it is decompressed at this point. Thecompression of the settings allows for more information to be stored onthe smart card and for faster transfer of information from the smartcard to the computer. The use of compression provides a great advantagesince smart card memory and settings transfer speed are vital to thisinvention.

The software then saves 32 all of the settings currently in use by thecomputer so that the system can revert back to these settings after thesmart card user leaves the radius of the reader. The process of savingthe current settings involves packaging the information into a file andwriting it to the hard disk. The current settings are persisted to thedisk to allow the restoration of the appropriate settings if thecomputer is not properly shutdown while smart card settings are active.After a user's current settings have been saved 32, the software readsthe settings file retrieved from the smart card or from the settingscache and then activates the settings 34 on the current system. At thispoint users can see the settings changing, such as the wallpaper, windowtitle bars and other settings that affect the visual interface. When allof the settings have been changed, users will be notified by the icon inthe system tray. These new settings remain active until the smart cardreader detects that the smart card is no longer present 50. The smartcard is considered no longer present when the reader does not detect asmart card containing the GUID currently in use for a specified amountof time. This specified amount of time could be changed by the systemadministrator.

If users change the system settings while the smart card settings areactive 36 they have the option to save these changes to the card 38,resulting in an updated preference set. Depending on a user's settings,these updated settings can be automatically transferred to the card orthe user can be prompted whether to save the new settings or not. Bydefault, any settings changes made when the smart card is active willautomatically be saved to the card. This gives users the transparentnon-interactive interface that this invention embodies. If there are newsettings to be transferred to the card, the software collects these newsettings 40 and prepares them for transfer to the card.

The first step in preparing the new data to be transferred to the cardrequires the computation of a new checksum value for the data to bewritten to the card. This checksum computation 40 can be performed usingthe well-known MD5 hash algorithm, or any other established hashalgorithm. If a user has specified encryption for the data, the settingsfile is then encrypted 42. Likewise, if a user has specifiedcompression, the data is then compressed 44. After these steps have beencompleted, the settings and checksum value are then transferred 46 tothe smart card. These new settings and the checksum value are alsotransferred to the computer's settings cache 48 where they replace theprevious information for this user.

After the reader determines that a smart card is no longer present 50,the system checks for the existence of original settings 52. If thesesettings are found, the software changes the system back to theseoriginal settings 54. At this point, if anyone is watching the computer,they will see the user interface elements affected by the smart cardsettings revert back to their original state. The icon in the systemtray will notify the user that this transformation is taking place. Whenthe transformation to the original settings is complete, the system trayicon will appear in the polling state 12, indicating that the system isagain ready to accept smart card settings.

In addition to settings, the user is also given the capability to add tothe list of items stored on the card. As shown in FIG. 5, a user definedstorage area 424 will be provided with functionality allowing the userto transfer any data to the card they desire as long as the memorycapacity of the card is not exceeded. For example, if the user has aparticular document that they would like on the device but the currentsettings software does not include a function for this, then the usercan specify that this document is to be stored in the user definedstorage area 424. This gives the card ability to adapt for new settingsand also the ability to store information besides settings. This userdefined storage area can optionally be encrypted and protected by a PIN422.

The security cautious user is given several options to provide differentlevels of protection for the information stored on the card. Accordingto personal preferences the user has the option of requiring the entryof a PIN 18 prior to the transfer of information from the card to thecomputer. With this option enabled the information stored on the card isencrypted and can only be decrypted though the PIN. The user can eitherrequire a PIN for all data on the card or for only a subset of the data.For example, the user may allow the personalized settings to beautomatically accessed but require a PIN to access a data file that hasbeen stored in user defined storage area. The user is also given theoption to set an expiration date 416 for the card. This allows the cardto be used without entry of the PIN for specified amount of time. Inorder to use the card after this time has passed, the user must enter aPIN.

As shown in FIG. 4, when smart card settings are active and a user is onthe Internet, the invention further enhances the experience by enablinga user to transparently logon to websites. Software is integrated withthe web browser and the requested website to allow it to interact withthe smart card and smart card reader. When a website is requested 210that supports a smart card logon it sends a message 212 to the webbrowser to check if it contains the smart card locator component. If theweb browser does not support a smart card logon, a normal logon page isdisplayed 214. If it does support a smart card logon 216, then thewebsite transfers a unique website ID 222 to the smart card locatorcomponent. This website ID can be based off of a digital certificateowned by the website or it can be any form of a globally uniqueidentifier. The browser then uses the smart card reader to check 224 ifthe smart card of the current user contains a matching ID for thiswebsite. If the smart card contains a matching ID the login informationfor that website is transferred 226 to the browser, which then transfers228 the information to the website. This login information can beencrypted with the websites public key to prevent unauthorized usersfrom accessing it. The website then decrypts the logon information withits private key. If the data results in a successful logon 232information the website sends back a web page with the user alreadylogged in 234. Otherwise the website sends back the normal logon webpage 218.

After the installation of the smart card settings software, a graphicalprogram can be run, enabling users to easily personalize their settingsand then save those settings to a smart card. The software lets the userbrowse different categories of settings initialized to the values of thecurrent computer system. A user is free to modify any of the values toobtain the desired environment. A user is free to either personalize allof the possible settings presented by the software or to only select asubset of these settings to travel with the smart card to othercomputers. The personalization software suspends the computer's abilityto switch to smart card settings while it is running. This allows ausers smart card to enter the range of the reader and have the currentcomputer settings written to the card without the computer switching tothe settings currently contained on the card.

Once the settings are modified as desired a user can press a button onthe software interface that saves these settings to a smart card. A newGUID is generated and written to the card along with the settingsinformation. After the settings have been saved, the personalizationprogram can be exited and the card is now ready to be used on anycomputer running the smart card settings software. The personalizationprogram can be repeated as many times as necessary on each card. Thepersonalization program also allows the user to configure the smart cardfor logon to websites that support smart card logon.

Turning to the diagram in FIG. 5, the smart card contains an operatingsystem 410 supplied by the manufacturer of the card. This operatingsystem provides the smart card with the basic functionality needed toread from and write to the card. The operating system also provides theability to encrypt and decrypt data. This invention involves severaldifferent customized sections of data on the card. A GUID 412 and achecksum 414 are written on the card to enable a caching system on thecomputer. The GUID uniquely identifies the user of the card while thechecksum uniquely identifies the contents of the card.

The card expiration info 416 is used to determine when the card can nolonger be freely accessed. If no date is specified then this option isnot used. After the date contained in the card expiration is reached aPIN will be required for further access to the data. The card alsocontains two boolean flags. The settings PIN flag 418 notifies thecomputer if a PIN is required to access the settings on the card. Theadditional data PIN flag 422 notifies the computer if a PIN is requiredto access the additional data contained on the card. A series of websiteidentifiers 426 and their corresponding logon information 426 are alsostored on the card. This section of identifiers determines the web sitesthat can be transparently logged into when the computer is connected tothe Internet. The additional data section 424 contains information theuser has decided to store on the card. This can be any arbitrary datasupplied by the user. The graphical settings personalization programwill allow users to easily drag and drop files and other data onto anadditional data section that will be written to the card. The settingsinformation file 420 contains all of the settings that willautomatically be transferred and activated when the card enters therange of a card reader.

In most cases, when a user first obtains a smart card it will notcontain any settings information. The card will need to be configured tocontain the users personal settings. However, it is possible to obtainpreconfigured smart cards. These preconfigured cards can contain certaindesktop themes or they can be preconfigured to aid people with certaindisabilities so that no setup is required. For example, a user withcolorblindness can buy a card that by default changes the computer tohigh contrast mode. Desktop theme cards would have a set of preferencesstored on the card to give the computer a particular look and feel.

A user may have several different cards each configured for a differentuse. If a user frequently uses a computer for different tasks it may bebeneficial to have different environments setup that best suit thecurrent task. A user can populate the current environment with relevantemail addresses and websites for a work environment on one card, andthen have another card to populate the environment for recreational use.Business may also choose to give out preconfigured cards as a means ofadvertisement. The card can contain the company's website, emailaddresses, and other relevant information. For example, a restaurant canplace their menu and address information on the card. When the customerwants more information than is printed on the card it can be broughtinto the range of the reader and the relevant information will becomevisible on the computer screen.

The present invention is not limited to use on a computer terminal, butcan be used on any application device in which a smart card reader isequipped. Such application devices include Internet kiosks, telephones,televisions or any other device wherein personal preference settings areused.

It is to be understood that a preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen described and that various modifications thereto may be made bypersons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined in the following claims.

1. A method for establishing preference settings for a computer terminalduring a user session, the computer terminal being coupled to a smartcard reader configured to detect and access a smart card located withina predetermined zone of the smart card reader, the smart card carryingat least wholly self-contained personalized preference settings, atleast one checksum summarizing the contents of the smart card and uniqueidentification information, the method comprising the steps of: thesmart card reader detecting if a smart card is present within thepredetermined zone; wirelessly retrieving the at least one checksum andthe unique identification information from the smart card to access thecomputer terminal; validating the unique identification informationretrieved from the smart card; if the unique identification informationis validated, providing a user with access and functionality to thecomputer terminal; inspecting a preference cache within the computerterminal for a unique cache identifier and a cache checksum matching theunique identification information and the at least one checksum of thesmart card, and assigning cached preference settings associated with theunique cache identifier and the cache checksum to the computer terminalto initiate the user session; wherein if no matching unique cacheidentifier and cache checksum are found, the method further comprises;conducting an information exchange to thereby initiate the user session,the information exchange including: receiving and storing, at thecomputer terminal, the self-contained personalized preference settingscontained on the smart card; performing a preference establishmentprocedure to assign the self-contained personalized preference settingscontained on the smart card to the computer terminal when the smart cardis within the predetermined zone; and while the smart card is within thepredetermined zone of the smart card reader, preventing the smart cardreader from accessing additional smart cards within the predeterminedzone of the smart card reader.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereupondetecting the smart card, further comprising the steps of: prompting auser for a password associated with the detected smart card; receivingthe password from a user; and determining that the password isassociated with the unique identification information from the smartcard and an authorized user of the computer terminal.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, whereupon a determination is made that the self-containedpersonalized preference settings corresponding to the uniqueidentification information do not correspond to the cached preferencesettings stored in the preference cache, further comprising the step oftransferring the self-contained personalized preference settings on thesmart card to the preference cache.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe self-contained personalized preference settings are stored on thesmart card as compressed preference data, said method further comprisingthe step of the computer terminal decompressing the compressedpreference data.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the self-containedpersonalized preference settings are stored on the smart card asencrypted preference data, said method further comprising the step ofthe computer terminal decrypting the encrypted preference data.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, whereupon the smart card reader does not detect asmart card within a predetermined range, further comprising the stepsof: determining whether predetermined preference settings exist for thecomputer terminal; reverting to the predetermined preference settingsupon a determination thereof; and reverting to the last used preferencesettings upon a negative determination.
 7. The method of claim 1,whereupon a user changes the preference settings during the usersession, further comprising the step of: saving the new preferencesettings to the smart card.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingthe steps of: capturing the current settings and computing a newchecksum; transmitting and copying the new preference settings and thenew checksum to the smart card; and storing the new preference settingsin the preference cache.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computerterminal is connected to a network server system having a preferencedatabase, said method further comprising the step of: transmitting theunique identification information to the server; using the uniqueidentification information to determine whether the cached preferencesettings corresponding to the unique identification information arestored on the server database; and temporarily assigning the cachedpreference settings determined to correspond to the uniqueidentification information by the server to the computer terminal. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein a settings device layout of the smartcard includes the card operating system, a global unique identifier(GUID), the at least one checksum, at least one password flag andpreference settings information file.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the preference settings information file includes keyboardsettings, mouse settings, personal contact settings, internet browsersettings, desktop settings, folder option settings and applicationsettings.
 12. A system for wirelessly setting personal preferencesettings on a computer terminal, the system comprising: at least onesmart card carrying self-contained personalized preference settings, atleast one checksum summarizing the contents of the at least one smartcard and unique identification information; a computer terminal; and asmart card reader coupled to the computer terminal, said smart cardreader configured to wirelessly detect a smart card within apredetermined zone surrounding the smart card reader; wherein the smartcard reader is arranged to wirelessly retrieve the at least one checksumand unique identification information from the smart card within thepredetermined zone to permit a user to access the computer terminal;wherein the computer terminal is configured to search a preference cachewithin the computer terminal for a unique cache identifier and a cachechecksum matching the unique identification information and the at leastone checksum of the smart card within the predetermined zone; whereincached preference settings associated with the unique cache identifierand the cache checksum are assigned to the computer terminal to initiatea user session; wherein if no matching unique cache identifier and cachechecksum are found, the smart card reader is arranged to permit aninformation exchange to thereby initiate a user session, the informationexchange including the computer terminal receiving and storing theself-contained personalized preference settings contained on the smartcard and performing a preference establishment procedure to temporarilyassign the self-contained personalized preference settings contained onthe smart card to the operating system of the computer terminal; andwherein the smart card reader is configured to access one smart cardwithin the predetermined zone at a time.
 13. The system according toclaim 12, wherein a settings device layout of the smart card includesthe card operating system, a global unique identifier (GUID), the atleast one checksum, password flag and settings information file.
 14. Thesystem according to claim 13, wherein the settings information fileincludes keyboard settings, mouse settings, personal contact settings,internet browser settings, desktop settings, folder option settings andapplication settings.
 15. The system according to claim 12, wherein thesmart card reader has a smart card receptor configured and dimensionedto receive and contact the smart card to read data stored thereondirectly therefrom.
 16. The system according to claim 12, wherein thesmart card reader is configured to poll the predetermined area atselected time intervals for the presence of any smart cards.
 17. Asystem for wirelessly setting personal preference settings on anapplication device, the system comprising: at least one smart cardcarrying self-contained personalized preference settings, at least onechecksum summarizing the contents of the at least one smart card andidentification information; an application device; and a smart cardreader coupled to the application device, said smart card readerconfigured to wirelessly detect a smart card within a predetermined zonesurrounding the smart card reader; wherein the smart card reader isarranged to wirelessly retrieve the at least one checksum andidentification information to permit a user to access the applicationdevice; wherein the application device is configured to search apreference cache within the application device for a unique cacheidentifier and a cache checksum matching the identification informationand the at least one checksum of the smart card within the predeterminedzone; wherein cached preference settings associated with the uniquecache identifier and the cache checksum are assigned to the applicationdevice to initiate a user session; wherein if no matching unique cacheidentifier and cache checksum are found, the smart card reader isarranged to permit an information exchange to thereby initiate a usersession, the information exchange including the application devicereceiving and storing the self-contained personalized preferencesettings contained on the smart card and performing a preferenceestablishment procedure to temporarily assign the self-containedpersonalized preference settings contained on the smart card to anoperating system of the application device; and wherein the smart cardreader is configured to access one smart card within the predeterminedzone at a time.
 18. A method for establishing preference settings for acomputer terminal, the computer terminal being coupled to a smart cardreader configured to detect and access a smart card located within apredetermined zone of the smart card reader, the smart card carrying atleast wholly self-contained personalized preference settings, at leastone checksum summarizing the contents of the smart card and uniqueidentification information, the method comprising the steps of:detecting if a smart card is present within the predetermined zone;using at least one checksum and the unique identification informationfrom the smart card to determine access to the computer terminal;validating the unique identification information retrieved from thesmart card; if the unique identification information is validated,allowing access to the computer terminal; inspecting a preference cachewithin the computer terminal for a unique cache identifier and a cachechecksum matching the unique identification information and the at leastone checksum of the smart card, and assigning cached preference settingsassociated with the unique cache identifier and the cache checksum tothe computer terminal to initiate the user session; wherein if nomatching unique cache identifier and cache checksum are found, assigningthe self-contained personalized preference settings contained on thesmart card to the computer terminal; and while the smart card is withinthe predetermined zone of the smart card reader, preventing the smartcard reader from accessing additional smart cards within thepredetermined zone of the smart card reader.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: prompting a user for a password associated with thedetected smart card; receiving the password from the user; anddetermining that the user is an authorized user of the computer terminalin response to determining that the password is associated with theunique identification information from the smart card.
 20. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising transferring the self-containedpersonalized preference settings on the smart card to the preferencecache.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the self-containedpersonalized preference settings are stored on the smart card ascompressed preference data and the method further comprisesdecompressing the compressed preference data at the computer terminal.22. The method of claim 18, wherein the self-contained personalizedpreference settings are stored on the smart card as encrypted preferencedata and the method further comprises decrypting the encryptedpreference data at the computer terminal.
 23. The method of claim 18,wherein in response to not detecting a smart card within thepredetermined zone, the method further comprises: determining whetheroriginal preference settings exist for the computer terminal; andreverting to the original preference settings in response to determiningthat original preference settings exist for the computer terminal. 24.The method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving new preferencesettings from the user; and saving the new preference settings to thesmart card.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: capturingcurrent preference settings and computing a new checksum based on thecurrent preference settings; transmitting copying the new preferencesettings and the new checksum to the smart card; and storing the newpreference settings in the preference cache.
 26. The method of claim 18,wherein the computer terminal is connected to a network server systemhaving a preference database and the method further comprises:transmitting the unique identification information to the server; usingthe unique identification information to determine whether the cachedpreference settings corresponding to the unique identificationinformation are stored on the server database; and temporarily assigningthe cached preference settings determined to correspond to the uniqueidentification information by the server to the computer terminal. 27.The method of claim 18, wherein a settings device layout of the smartcard includes one or more of a card operating system, a global uniqueidentifier (GUID), the at least one checksum, at least one password flagand preference settings information file.
 28. The method of claim 27,wherein the preference settings information file includes one or more ofkeyboard settings, mouse settings, personal contact settings, internetbrowser settings, desktop settings, folder option settings andapplication settings.
 29. A system for setting personal preferencesettings on a computer terminal, the system comprising: self-containedpersonalized preference settings, at least one checksum summarizing thecontents of at least one smart card and unique identificationinformation; a computer terminal; and a smart card reader coupled to thecomputer terminal, said smart card reader configured to retrieve the atleast one checksum and unique identification information from the smartcard within the predetermined zone; wherein the computer terminal isconfigured to search a preference cache for a unique cache identifierand a cache checksum matching the unique identification information andthe at least one checksum of the smart card within the predeterminedzone; wherein cached preference settings associated with the uniquecache identifier and the cache checksum are assigned to the computerterminal to initiate a user session; wherein if no matching unique cacheidentifier and cache checksum are found, the smart card reader isarranged to permit an information exchange including the computerterminal receiving and storing the self-contained personalizedpreference settings contained on the smart card indicating temporaryassignment of the self-contained personalized preference settingscontained on the smart card to the computer terminal; and wherein thesmart card reader is configured to access one smart card within thepredetermined zone at a time.
 30. A system for setting personalpreference settings on an application device, the system comprising: atleast one smart card carrying self-contained personalized preferencesettings, at least one checksum summarizing the contents of the at leastone smart card and identification information; an application device;and a smart card reader coupled to the application device, said smartcard reader configured to detect a smart card within a predeterminedzone surrounding the smart card reader; at least one processor thatprocesses the at least one checksum and identification information;wherein the application device is configured to search a preferencecache within the application device for a unique cache identifier and acache checksum matching the identification information and the at leastone checksum of the smart card within the predetermined zone; whereincached preference settings associated with the unique cache identifierand the cache checksum are assigned to the application device toinitiate a user session; wherein if no matching unique cache identifierand cache checksum are found, the application device is configured toreceive and store the self-contained personalized preference settingscontained on the smart card indicating temporary assignment of theself-contained personalized preference settings contained on the smartcard to the application device; and wherein the smart card reader isconfigured to access one smart card within the predetermined zone at atime.
 31. A computer readable non-transitory medium storing softwarecode thereon, the software code configured for execution by one or moreprocessors of a computer terminal in order to cause the computerterminal to perform a method of establishing preference settings for acomputer terminal, wherein the computer terminal is coupled to a smartcard reader configured to detect and access a smart card, the smart cardcarrying at least wholly self-contained personalized preferencesettings, at least one checksum summarizing the contents of the smartcard, and unique identification information, the method comprising:accessing the at least one checksum and the unique identificationinformation from the smart card within a predetermined zone of the smartcard reader; inspecting a preference cache of the computer terminal fora unique cache identifier and a cache checksum matching the uniqueidentification information and the at least one checksum of the smartcard, respectively; in response to identifying matching unique cacheidentifier and cache checksum in the preference cache, assigning cachedpreference settings associated with the unique cache identifier and thecache checksum to the computer terminal to initiate the user session; inresponse to not identifying matching unique cache identifier and cachechecksum, assigning the self-contained personalized preference settingscontained on the smart card to the computer terminal; and while thesmart card is within the predetermined zone of the smart card reader,preventing the smart card reader from accessing additional smart cardswithin the predetermined zone of the smart card reader.
 32. The computerreadable non-transitory medium of claim 31 , wherein the predeterminedzone is within the smart card reader.
 33. The computer readablenon-transitory medium of claim 31 , wherein the predetermined zone is anarea of radio frequency communications.
 34. The computer readablenon-transitory medium of claim 31 , wherein the self-containedpersonalized preference settings indicate one or more of keyboardsettings, mouse settings, personal contact settings, internet browsersettings, desktop settings, folder option settings and applicationsettings.
 35. The computer readable non-transitory medium of claim 31 ,wherein the unique identification information comprises a globallyunique identifier that uniquely identifies the smart card.
 36. Thecomputer readable non-transitory medium of claim 31 , wherein the methodfurther comprises: prompting a user for a password associated with thedetected smart card; receiving the password from the user; determiningthat the password is associated with the unique identificationinformation from the smart card; and authorizing the user to access thecomputer terminal in response to determining that the password isassociated with the unique identification information from the smartcard.